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Year after Billy Graham's death, son Franklin Graham, grandson Will Graham, poised to lead

John Boyle, Asheville Citizen Times
Published 7:13 p.m. ET March 2, 2019

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Rev. Billy Graham died at the age of 99. He was known for his charisma, but he said "I despise all this attention on me...I'm not trying to bring people to myself, but I know that God has sent me out as a warrior."

The leader of both the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in Charlotte and the Samaritan's Purse worldwide relief organization in Boone, Graham is known for his outspoken, conservative positions, and as an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump.

A year after Graham's father, pioneering evangelist the Rev. Billy Graham, was buried in Charlotte at age 99, Franklin Graham remains as provocative and busy as ever.

And the Graham dynasty remains strong, with two powerful organizations boasting a global reach and assets in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Franklin Graham, 66, heads both the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and the Samaritan's Purse relief organization, both based in North Carolina.(Photo: Courtesy of BGEA)

Franklin Graham, 66, has been leading the BGEA for nearly 20 years. And the next generation of Grahams already hold key positions with the organizations. That includes Franklin Graham's oldest son, Swannanoa resident Will Graham, who is vice chairman of BGEA as well as the man in in charge of the Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove, just east of Asheville.

The Citizen Times recently interviewed Franklin and Will Graham via telephone to get their takes on the family legacy, the passing of Billy Graham and what the future holds.

Grahams have a unique family legacy

Franklin Graham and his wife, Jane, live in Boone. Son Edward, who recently retired from the military, now holds a key role at Samaritan's Purse International Relief Fund in Boone, an organization that responds to global disasters. Children Roy and Cissie also have roles in the family business.

“I see my dad trying to prepare the ministry for after Franklin Graham,” said Will Graham, who also just returned from a preaching trip — he calls his gatherings "celebrations," not "crusades" — in the Philippines. "So the ministry is so big, it's going to take all four of us (siblings) working together to give leadership."

Bill J. Leonard, the Dunn Professor of Baptist Studies and Church History Emeritus at Wake Forest University, said the Graham family has a unique legacy in the religious world. The Rev. Billy Graham spread his message of salvation through Jesus Christ via cutting edge technology of the 20th century, chiefly highly publicized and televised crusades.

In short, he became the most famous evangelist in the world. All while he and wife Ruth Bell Graham lived in Montreat, raising five children, including Franklin.

Will Graham, 44, the grandson of Billy Graham, has taken on a larger role in the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. He lives in Swannanoa with his wife and their three children.(Photo: Courtesy of BGEA)

Billy Graham died Feb. 21, 2018, and was buried March 2 in Charlotte. Ruth Graham died in 2007.

Despite the high-profile "brand name" that comes with being a Graham, the younger generations have to overcome serious hurdles facing Christianity in America today, Leonard said. That includes the aging of church-going populace, the rise of "un-churched" people in general, and a significant shift away from organized religion among younger generations.

"It seems to me the the biggest problem evangelicals face right now is the way they are telling the story, and in many ways living the story, is not capturing the attention of large numbers of younger Americans, as it did with Billy Graham in his era," Leonard said.

Franklin Graham's politics

And Franklin Graham is not always a uniting figure. While his primary message is always about Jesus, he never shies from controversy or political stances.

"One of the interesting things about Franklin is in many ways he’s much more divisive than his father was, in terms of the public square," Leonard said. "It's almost night and day in many cases."

A frequent guest on cable news and vocal critic of the left, Franklin Graham has been concerned about what he views as American turning away from Jesus Christ just as long as he's been leading the BGEA.

Franklin Graham, 66, still preaches a full international schedule. He also says he has provided spiritual counsel to President Trump.(Photo: Courtesy of BGEA)

“I think our country is in a moral free fall, and our politicians are wicked men and women,” he said, citing recent events in Virginia in which a legislator put forward a late-term abortion bill and Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, made ambiguous comments afterward that some suggested amounted to support of infanticide.

“(For) the governor of Virginia to say that a child could be born and it would be kept comfortable until the doctor or the mother made the decision whether to keep the child,” Graham said. “I mean, we’re talking about murder, and our legislators are approving murder and supporting murder of children, and I believe God will judge our nation for this wickedness."

Political views aside, Franklin Graham also has proven to be an adept organization builder. He was elected to the board of Samaritan’s Purse in 1978, and a year later, following the death of the organization's founder, he was elected president.

Leonard notes Samaritan's Purse is a "socially and globally conscious response organization" that, while it has evangelistic underpinnings, also has a true mission to help those in need. That, in some ways, may appeal to the younger generation more than the BGEA's large-scale gatherings.

BGEA, Samaritan's Purse, The Cove all have global reach

Both the BGEA and Samaritan's Purse have a global reach, and they're thriving.

Samaritan’s Purse, based in Boone, employs 1,390 people and has a 2019 budget of $673 million. In 2017, it had total net assets of $627.5 million, up from $437.6 million in 2016. In had total expenses of $610.9 million in 2017, up $27.1 million from the year before, according to financial statements on its website.

Founded in 1950, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association has 510 employees and a 2019 budget of $105 million. In 2017, it had total net assets of $347.7 million, up from $317.4 million in 2016. Total operating expenses in 2017 came in at $107.2 million, up $6.4 million from the previous year.

Franklin Graham is president and CEO of both the BGEA and Samaritan's Purse, and he is positioning family members to take over the organizations at some point.

Will Graham has headed the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove in Swannanoa since 2012, and holds the title of Vice President and Associate Evangelist with the BGEA. He's also vice chairman of the BGEA Board of Directors, a key position.

"I am considered the vice chairman of the board, which has usually meant that would be the person who would take over the ministry in case something happened to the chairman, which is my dad," Will Graham said. "It’s one of those steps, but the board has to decide that.”

Will Graham, who resembles his grandfather in mannerisms and looks, has an active preaching schedule — he was headed to Montana to meet with pastors this past weekend — but he's also spending more time in Charlotte, where the BGEA has its headquarters.

Will Graham, right, the grandson of Billy Graham, has taken on a larger role in the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, including worldwide preaching engagements. Here he spreads the word in the Philippines.(Photo: Courtesy of BGEA)

“It’s still a board decision, but they’re putting things in place for one day it looks like for me to run,” Will Graham said. “I’ve still got a lot of growing left to do and a lot of work to do to show I can give leadership to the organization.”

An ordained minister who spent six years as pastor of a church in Raleigh, William Franklin Graham IV lives in Swannanoa with his wife, Kendra, and their three children. They have two daughters, Christine Jane (CJ) and Rachel Austin, both high schoolers in Buncombe County Schools, and a son, William Franklin Graham V, who goes by Quinn.

Asked what role he envisions for his sons, Franklin Graham was direct.

“I think with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, that possibly could be Will,” Franklin Graham said. “That decision has to be made by the Board of Directors. My son Edward possibly here at Samaritan’s Purse. He just left the Army after 16 years, and he’s come back to help.”

Christian evangelist and Southern Baptist minister Billy Graham's casket lies in honor during a ceremony attended by members of Congress and the Trump Administration in the Rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington, DC on Feb. 28, 2018. Graham was the nation's best know Christian evangelist, preaching to millions worldwide, as well as being an advisor to US presidents over his 6 decade career.(Photo: Pool photo by Chip Somodevilla)

Another of Franklin's sons, Roy Graham, works with donors at the BGEA, and Franklin's daughter, Cissie, helps out with both organizations at times.

A cousin of Franklin Graham's, Melvin Graham, the president and owner of Graham Enterprises, also sits on the BGEA board, as does Franklin Graham's sister, Anne Graham Lotz, who is president of AnGeL Ministries.

Franklin Graham doesn't worry about his support of Trump

Franklin Graham has said Trump defends the Christian faith and that he became president in part because "somehow God put him in this position."

In his interview with the Citizen Times, Graham was asked if his support of Trump has hurt or helped the organizations he runs.

“It certainly hasn’t hurt us,” he said. “It’s not that I support Trump, per se. He’s the president of the United States, and if he does something good, it’s going to benefit all of us Americans.”

Graham contends Trump often does not get a fair shake from the media or Democrats. He also chastised the left for holding congressional hearings last week featuring former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen while Trump was meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Vietnam.

U.S. President Donald Trump, right, and Melania Trump watch the family walk in for the private funeral service for Billy Graham in a tent outside the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, N.C. on Friday, March 2, 2018.(Photo: Ken Ruinard/ Staff)

"Right now, there’s this attitude in Washington, even if Trump does something good, they won’t say that,” Graham said. “They have to attack him. It’s unfortunate. We’ve never had a president like this before in the history of our country.”

In a sharply divided country, getting behind Trump might not be a bad strategy for the BGEA, said Leonard, the Wake Forest professor emeritus. He noted while the Grahams' organizations are nondenominational, they do lean right.

"Some time ago, as his father moved off the stage, (Franklin) began to cultivate a base that may be large but is more rightward in its identity and its commitment than his father's base," Leonard said. "They’ve really cultivated a base, and he knows where that is."

The BGEA'a "Statement of Faith" on its website offers standard proclamations such as "the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ" and that the only way to heaven lies through accepting Jesus as your savior. But it also offers plenty of Biblically supported red meat for the right side of the political spectrum, stating that they believe "that marriage is exclusively the union of one genetic male and one genetic female," and that "human life is sacred from conception to its natural end."

He's offered Trump spiritual guidance

Franklin Graham has never assumed that mantle, but he did say he's offered counsel to Trump. "I’ve had private conversations with him, about spiritual issues. Yes,” Graham said.

Asked if that meant literally praying with Trump, he demurred.

"Those are private moments, and I don’t want to go into what we did or said,” Graham said.

Don't look for Franklin Graham to retire anytime soon

Graham just returned from a preaching tour in Australia, where he drew capacity crowds at several tennis stadiums. He was headed for another tour, in Russia, and that's on top of running both the BGEA and Samaritan's Purse.

The only pressure he feels is to bring more people to Jesus Christ, and to help more people suffering from disasters.

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Billy Graham's sister and children speak at his funeral in Charlotte March 2, 2018.
Angela Wilhelm/awilhelm@citizen-times.com

"I’m 66, so I’m running out of time," he said. "I better do it while I can."

Will Graham is 22 years younger, and he's still amazed by his father's energy level.

"I think my dad, he’s been in fifth gear for a long time,” Will Graham said. “I think he’s into sixth gear now. That’s what’s amazing. A lot of people kind of slow down. Even my granddaddy, when he was at this age, he started to slow down, and dad seems to be speeding up.”

Despite declining health, the Rev. Billy Graham remained active into his 90s and preached publicly into his 80s. Franklin Graham views his dad as a role model.

“If I have the health and the strength, I want to continue doing what I do,” Franklin Graham said. “My father never … he was fairly active up till 95. I hope to be able, as long as I have the health and the strength, to go as long as I can.”

Billy and Ruth Graham's Montreat home will take on a new role

The rustic, mountaintop log home where Ruth and Billy Graham raised their five children, and where Billy Graham died last year, will be open to more people.

“We’ll put it under the management of The Cove,” Franklin Graham said, referring to the Billy Graham Training Center in Swannanoa. “It would be a place where small groups could go up there and strategize and pray. I think that’s the way my father wanted that place to be used.”

Graham said the artist Bob Timberlake is helping with the interior. The idea is that groups of 15-20 people could use the home during daytime hours, not for overnight stays, Graham said.

The Grahams remain deeply touched by North Carolinians' turnout last year

Billy Graham was a Tar Heel native son who gained fame on the world stage. He's so respected in the state, North Carolina plans to place a statue of him, holding a Bible, in the U.S. Capitol.

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People gather on State Street in Black Mountain in preparation to watch as the motorcade transporting the body of Billy Graham travels from the Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove to Charlotte, Saturday, February 24, 2018. Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citize

People gather on State Street in Black Mountain in preparation to watch as the motorcade transporting the body of Billy Graham travels from the Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove to Charlotte, Saturday, February 24, 2018. Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citize

A woman clutches a Messianic Jewish Bible with other people gathering on State Street in Black Mountain in preparation to watch as the motorcade transporting the body of Billy Graham travels from the Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove to Charlotte, Saturday, February 24, 2018. Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citize

A boy clutches a Holy Bible with other people as they gather on State Street in Black Mountain in preparation to watch as the motorcade transporting the body of Billy Graham travels from the Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove to Charlotte, Saturday, February 24, 2018. Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citize

The motorcade transporting the body of Billy Graham travels down State Street in Black Mountain from the Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove to Charlotte, Saturday, February 24, 2018. Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citize

The motorcade transporting the body of Billy Graham travels down State Street in Black Mountain from the Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove to Charlotte, Saturday, February 24, 2018. Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citize

The motorcade transporting the body of Billy Graham travels down State Street in Black Mountain from the Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove to Charlotte, Saturday, February 24, 2018. Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citize

A sign in memoriam of Billy Graham displayed in the window of a store front in Black Mountain. A motorcade transporting the body of Billy Graham travelled down State Street in Black Mountain from the Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove to Charlotte, Saturday, February 24, 2018. Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citize

A sign reading, "God Loves You" displayed in a store front window in Black Mountain on State Street. A motorcade transporting the body of Billy Graham travelled down State Street in Black Mountain from the Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove to Charlotte, Saturday, February 24, 2018. Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citize

Terry and Linda Davis, of Black Mountain sit holding a sign in memoriam of Billy Graham on State Street as they wait for the motorcade transporting the body of Billy Graham to travel down State Street in Black Mountain from the Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove to Charlotte, Saturday, February 24, 2018. Mrs. Davis described herself as the "proudest Christian in the world." Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citize

Sylvia Arrowood, Gloria Michael and Kim Wilson stand on the corner of State Street and route 9 in Black Mountain as they wait for the motorcade transporting the body of Billy Graham to travel down State Street in Black Mountain from the Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove to Charlotte, Saturday, February 24, 2018. Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citize

People gather on State Street in Black Mountain in preparation to watch as the motorcade transporting the body of Billy Graham travels from the Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove to Charlotte, Saturday, February 24, 2018. Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citize

People gather on State Street in Black Mountain in preparation to watch as the motorcade transporting the body of Billy Graham travels from the Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove to Charlotte, Saturday, February 24, 2018. Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citize

People gather on State Street in Black Mountain in preparation to watch as the motorcade transporting the body of Billy Graham travels from the Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove to Charlotte, Saturday, February 24, 2018. Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citize

The motorcade transporting the body of Billy Graham travels down State Street in Black Mountain from the Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove to Charlotte, Saturday, February 24, 2018. Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citize

The motorcade transporting the body of Billy Graham travels down State Street in Black Mountain from the Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove to Charlotte, Saturday, February 24, 2018. Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citize

The motorcade transporting the body of Billy Graham travels down State Street in Black Mountain from the Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove to Charlotte, Saturday, February 24, 2018. Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citize

The motorcade transporting the body of Billy Graham travels down State Street in Black Mountain from the Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove to Charlotte, Saturday, February 24, 2018. Matt Burkhartt/mburkhartt@citize

Deborah Moore, of Canton, was 14 years old when she attended her first crusade in 1977 to hear Billy Graham speak. She brought her Bible and one balloon for each decade of her life to watch as the motorcade carrying the body of Graham left The Cove in Black Mountain February 24, 2018. "He's been a part of my life as long as I've been alive," she said. Angela Wilhelm, /awilhelm@citizen-times.com

After his death, Graham's body went to an Asheville funeral home, then to Charlotte and the U.S. Capitol. He was buried at the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, next to his wife, Ruth.

"Reflecting back on the last year, when we transferred my father’s body from Asheville to Charlotte, tens of thousands of people had lined the streets and the highway — every overpass going down I-40 and (U.S.) 321 was covered with people," Franklin Graham recalled. "People on the side of the road, people kneeling, people waving, people praying. I‘m just so thankful for every person that said goodbye to my father. It touched all of his children. We were just overwhelmed by the outflow of love and support for my father. I just want to say thank you to everyone.”

About the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association

The BGEA, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, directs a wide range of domestic and international ministries, including large-scale festivals led by evangelists Franklin Graham and Will Graham; the Billy Graham Library; the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove, located outside of Asheville; SearchforJesus.net, an Internet evangelism project reaching thousands of people for Christ; and other programs through print, television, telephone, radio and the Internet.

About Samaritan’s Purse

Based in Boone, Samaritan’s Purse responds to the physical and spiritual needs of individuals in crisis situations, especially in locations where few others are working. Led by President and CEO Franklin Graham, Samaritan’s Purse works in more than 100 countries to provide aid to victims of war, disease, disaster, poverty, famine and persecution.

The Grahams' recent travels

In addition to running the BGEA and Samaritan's Purse, Franklin Graham keeps a busy international preaching schedule. In 2019, he's already been to six cities in Australia Feb. 9-24, reaching 59,200 people; and to Bangkok, Thailand, Jan. 19-20, reaching 42,000. In 2018, he preached in Monterrey, Mexico (42,000 in attendance), Lancashire, United Kingdom (three days, 9,000 in attendance; Lisbon, Portugal (two days, 27,800 in attendance). He also held the Decision America Pacific Northwest Tour, preaching to 70,150 people in seven cities across Washington and Oregon; and another Decision America California Tour through 10 (57,700 in attendance).

In 2019, Will Graham preached at "Celebrations" from Feb. 9-17 in Pangasinan and Manila, Philippines, with attendance of 149,646. In 2018, he preached in the Tri-Cities, Tennessee, with 10,515 in attendance; and in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Australia, with 5,904 in attendance. Other celebrations include Falkirk, Scotland (9,533 in attendance); Rankin Inlet, Canada (676 in attendance); St. John’s, Canada (6,482 in attendance); and Surat Thani/Phuket, Thailand (15,400 in attendance).